Category: my Ashford rigid heddle loom

Auld Lang Syne (Scarf No.15)

Published on by Jen3 Comments

A lot of the time I don’t realize the coincidences at play as I bring something to finish. For instance, the Scottish phrase “Auld Lang Syne” evoking the sentiment of “for old times’ sake” and “days gone by” . . . and my attempt at weaving to mimic an “auld Scottish tartan” design that my dear old friend and I planned the minute I got my first loom a couple of years ago (the very loom on which it is photographed) . Posted yesterday drying on the line, today here it is, fulfilling all those sentiments as it will be draped artfully over the shoulder of an old wingback chair which sits facing an old woodstove, in a very, very old cabin. For old times’ sake indeed, not to mention it is New Year’s Eve — happy 2026 everyone!

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

This weight of alpaca is truly perfect for the rigid heddle looms, using a 15 dent reed, because the drape is spectacular and there is enough room for the alpaca to bloom in the simple plain weave. Oh, and about the missing information in the notes; I wrote everything down on a piece of paper as I was calculating the design, then later lost the piece of paper, so it was accidentally thrown away.

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, in Carson (dark grey), Alfred (medium grey), Arabella (dark green), Elizabeth (red), and Zadie (gold). 440 y = 50g
  • Loom: Ashford 20″ Knitters Loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: Not available
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 18.5″
  • Selvedges: I added 4 extra ends to each of the selvedges, as they tend to get pulled in, and I used a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp & Weft: Not available
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 89″ long (not including fringe) and 18″ wide, and weighs 175g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 1540y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

Scarf No. 14

Published on by Jen6 Comments

Levi came to visit, and as I was showing him my alpaca scarf series, I could tell that he admired them, and that perhaps he even wanted one, but none of the colors I had woven were appropriate for his blue & grey gentlemen’s style. So, the day before he was to leave I suggested he design one with the alpaca colors I had on hand and that I would weave it for him, and so he did, and by the time he was leaving back to Canada, I had already woven one repeat to show him. Then this last week was a determined effort to getting it done, and now it is finished and ready to send in the post. As usual, my technical weaving notes are listed below.

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, in Carson (dark grey), Alfred (medium grey), Eleanor (light grey), and Bernard (blue). 440 y = 50g
  • Loom: Ashford 16″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 228
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 14″
  • Selvedges: I added 4 extra ends to each of the selvedges, as they tend to get pulled in, and I used a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: 20 ends each of *Carson, Eleanor, Bernard, Eleanor, Carson, Alfred, Carson, Eleanor, Bernard, Eleanor*, Carson.
  • Color Pattern Weft: Same sequence as for warp *thru*, and ending in Carson.
  • Finished: 2″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 76″ long (not including fringe) and 13.5″ wide, and weighs 118g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 1040y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

An Auspicious Autumn (Scarf No. 13)

Published on by Jen4 Comments

Hi, its me Abelene,

Jen did not weave on her scarves at all this summer, and now suddenly another alpaca scarf to show for a very auspicious occasion of the beginning of Autumn. Jen rattled through this scarf in the very last days of summer, having left it on the loom since Spring, while frenzied all summer long with other creative textile pursuits, as designing tweed blends, formulating dye recipes, ikat resist patterning and backstrap warp-faced weaving. We (the crew of inanimate objects) came out of the closet for this finishing event, and Señor Mirando and I have come to the conclusion that Jen has got something up her sleeve, finishing this scarf for the Equinox.

Happy Autumn, from Abelene & The Crew

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

Note from Jen: With this scarf and every scarf I have woven on the 16″ rigid heddle loom, I have been using this simple tensioning tool, and if you would like to see the technical information about it, I give more detail in the post Scarf No.12

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, in Amos (green), Zadie (deep gold), and Molesley (beige), 440 y = 50g
  • Loom: Ashford 16″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 240
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 15″
  • Selvedges: I did not add extra ends to the selvedges, but did use a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: [40 ends Amos, 40 ends Molesley, 40 ends Zadie] x 2
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 82″ long and 14.5″ wide, and weighs 133g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 1170y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.
  • Note to self, recipient was Eleanor

vernal influences

Published on by Jen3 Comments

Number two in my alpaca scarf series, warped and started to weave the first few color changes, just enough that I could photograph the color sequence before March arrives, and obviously in a colorway that is very typical for springtime. The color choice was difficult for me; I was considering gold and green , gold and apricot (it looks pink, but it is more like apricot), or even green and apricot… but all three together? Possibly too frolicsome and feminine. I mean, where’s the calming and staid neutral in the mix? My reason is that I figured I would never improve as a weaver if I didn’t start getting outside my comfort zone and make bolder choices, and so I did. It is evident there is a vernal influence going on here, as I’ve noticed all the wild plum trees have exploded in blossoms, and the intense fragrance of it all is amazing. Weather is high drama this time of year; one day the bees come out and everything is all abuzz with temperature in the 70’s, and the next day it could snow and bring everything to a frigid halt. I absolutely love March, and the last stretch of winter.

weaving marigold

Published on by Jen6 Comments

I am weaving with the natural marigold dyed 10/2 weight cotton from this post. I really am glad I got this little loom, for I will be able to weave up my few experimental dyed balls of cotton into something beautiful and useful, at the very least a scarf. Another very wonderful thing is that finally I can use the boat shuttle I bought nearly a year ago, but never could make it work right as it would dive down through the shed in the wider warps on the other looms. But this little loom having a maximum width of only 16 inches, I can place the shuttle into the shed with one hand and guide it under an inch, when my other hand greets the shuttle as it reaches the other side. And it is so easy it is to change out colors in a boat shuttle, especially for a random unmeasured pattern like this weaving, just switch out the quill bobbins with the three different colors when I feel like it . . . improvising and enjoying.

Additionally the breast board I rigged in this post which rests on, and in front of, the cloth beam, and held in position from the warp tension, is working wonders giving me more weaving room, especially as the temple occupies a substantial proportion of surface area, and brings the weaving edge up a couple of inches, so by using this board I can place the temple back beyond what is possible had I not been using the board, so it seems that I gain back the 2 inches that is lost. This really is maximum weaving enjoyment with minimum space, and yarn!